Universitŗ degli Studi di Pavia

Centro Interdisciplinare di Bioacustica e Ricerche
Ambientali

Pisces, fishes

In teleosteans more than 50 families
include sound producing species. In the family Gobiidae
several species have been studied in regard to their sound
producing abilities. To date, five species of the Italian
gobiid fauna are known to produce sounds: Padogobius martensii, Gobius nigricans and Knipowitschia punctatissima are
three endemic freshwater species; Zosterisessor
ophiocephalus and Gobius jozo (=niger) are
predominantly marine species.
Research on these species is undertaken in collaboration
with the University of Parma (Dept. of Biology and General
Physiology) and the University of Venice (Dept. of
Environmental Sciences).

Digital spectrogram, envelope and waveform of a
representative 'complex sound' emitted by a P.martensii
male while spawning. The first part of the sound is
composed by a train of partially overlapping pulses; the
second part is made up of rapidly repeated pulses which
overlap yielding a continuous tone-like waveform. The
waveform display shows the transition among the two parts
of the signal.

Digital spectrogram, envelope and waveform of a
representative sound emitted by a G.nigricans
male.

Digital spectrogram, envelope and waveform of a
representative spawning sound emitted by a K.punctatissima
male. The sound consists of a train of well distinct
pulses.

References

TORRICELLI P., LUGLI M., PARMIGIANI S.,
PAVAN G., 1986. Sound Production Associated with
Aggressive Behaviour in the Freshwater Goby, Padogobius
martensi. Abstracts of the Symposium on 'The Behaviour of
Fishes', 1986. The Fisheries Society of The British Isles,
UK: 61-62.